Here’s Why Owensboro Fell in Love With Barbecued Mutton

Growing up, if my dad said we were going for barbecue, he meant mutton. We loved all barbecue, but mutton, a specialty here in Daviess County, always won out.

Yes, mutton is beloved here in my hometown and home county, but, with few exceptions, folks I know who are not from here, friends included, cannot stand it. (I'd say they don't know what they're missing, but they do...as I continue to scratch my head in consternation.)

The History of Mutton in Owensboro

It's good to start with knowing that mutton comes from sheep that are around two or three years old. With that in mind, you probably think that if it's become such a barbecue focal point in Owensboro and Daviess County, there must have been a proliferation of sheep at one time. You'd be right.

Agricultural records dating back to 1860 indicate the presence of nearly twice as many sheep as there were cattle. When sheep outnumber cattle by that much, it only makes sense that mutton became the barbecue of choice.

The Cost of Cooking Mutton

Jerry Morris and the Angels for Ashley Cooking Team do a lot of great charity work for our community, and they do so by smoking Boston butts, ribs, and chickens to sell at a given fundraiser. I once asked Jerry why his team had never prepared mutton, and he told me it was too expensive.

I researched why it's so expensive, and I received a lot of solid suggestions that made sense, but nothing definitive. Lower supply, fluctuating demand, and its status as a specialty meat were all cited as possible reasons. Production costs and a certain level of difficulty in processing were other explanations. Another theory? People simply like it enough to pay the higher price.

How Expensive Is Mutton?

I checked some online retailers that sell it. Farmer's Fresh Direct has it at $14.95 a pound. Compare that to the average cost of ground beef, which ranges from $5 to $7 per pound. At one online butcher shop, you'll be out $130 for five pounds of roast mutton cuts, and that doesn't include sales tax.

At the annual BBQ & Barrels festival in Owensboro, there are church groups that prepare mutton for competition, but, for the most part, you'll only see mutton on menus at select restaurants. Indeed, mutton lovers flock to places like Moonlite Bar-B-Q, Old Hickory Bar-B-Que, and Ole South Barbeque to sink their teeth into this amazing regional delicacy.

If other restaurants outside these county lines serve mutton, I'd love to know their names.